Manziel’s Dom Pérignon moment

Updated 10:32 pm, Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

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Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel answers questions about his relationship with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury during Manziel's first press conference, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, in the Bright Football Complex on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Manziel is a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle ) less

Relax. Johnny Football probably wasn't breaking the law when he picked up that bottle of Dom.

On Sunday — two days after Texas A&M won the Cotton Bowl — the gossip site TMZ posted photos of Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel at the 21-and-up Avenu Lounge in Dallas.

In one of the grainy photos, the 20-year-old Heisman winner is surrounded by a crowd, a novelty sparkler cigar in his mouth and a bottle of Dom Pérignon in his hand.

Predictably, chatter on the Web went wild: Did Manziel drink that champagne? Was it even legal for him to hold the bottle? And how did the underage football phenom get into a 21-and-up club, anyway?

The answer: It was all legal if, as TMZ reported, Manziel's parents were with him at the club.

Section 106.06 of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code says you can purchase alcohol for a minor if you are the minor's parent, guardian or spouse — and as long as you are "visibly present" when the minor is drinking.

So if Manziel's parents were at the bar and bought a bottle of champagne, there's nothing to stop him from having a glass of bubbly.

A bar can't legally serve a 20-year-old Manziel, but it can serve his parents and they can, in turn, serve him.

As for whatever happened Saturday night, Manziel is not in trouble with the TABC, Beck said."The TABC doesn't launch investigations when the only piece of evidence is a photo of someone under 21 who appears to be holding a bottle," she said. "There's not enough evidence there."People frequently send in Facebook photos of drinkers who appear to be underage, she said — even those who aren't famous.

But it's impossible to tell what was really happening — or whether a parent was sitting nearby.

"There are all kinds of things that just a photograph doesn't tell us," Beck said. "It's not adequate evidence."

The same weekend, Manziel dropped by a casino on the Texas-Oklahoma border, then posted a photo of his winnings on Instagram.

He quickly deleted the pic, but it was too late: Fans (and detractors) were already speculating about whether a 20-year-old can gamble.

Manziel defended himself on Twitter: "Nothing illegal about being 18+ in a casino and winning money...KEEP HATING!"